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Commercial Gas Range Buying Guide: Burners, Griddle Sections, Ovens and BTU

Flamaster commercial gas range and hot plate on a restaurant cookline under a Type I hood

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A commercial gas range is the one piece of equipment a hot line is built around, and it is bought on two numbers: how many inches of wall it takes, and how many open burners sit on top. Everything else — oven count, griddle section, BTU — follows from those. This guide walks the decision using the Flamaster FLM-R series, which runs 24" to 60" in a single consistent cabinet.

Start with width and burner count

Commercial ranges come in fixed widths, and each 12 inches of width carries two open burners. That gives a simple ladder:

Model Width Open burners Ovens Total BTU Weight
FLM-R24 24" 4 1 standard 153,000 354 lb
FLM-R36 36" 6 1 standard 213,000 467 lb
FLM-R48 48" 8 2 standard 306,000 643 lb
FLM-R60 60" 10 2 standard 366,000 749 lb

Every one of them is 31 2/5" deep and 60" tall, so they line up flush with each other and with the rest of a standard cookline. Total BTU includes the oven — do not read it as burner output alone.

How many burners do you actually need? Count the pans that have to be on heat simultaneously during your busiest fifteen minutes, not over the whole service. Most independent restaurants land on six burners (36"); a 24" four-burner suits a café, a food truck or a second station; eight and ten burner ranges are for lines where two cooks work the range at once. Buying one size up costs a foot of wall — running out of burners costs tickets.

Should part of that top be a griddle?

The MG models swap two burners per 24 inches for a flat griddle section, which is usually the better trade if you sell any volume of eggs, burgers, onions or sandwiches:

Model Width Top configuration Ovens Total BTU Weight
FLM-R36-24MG 36" 2 burners + 24" griddle 1 standard 153,000 527 lb
FLM-R48-24MG 48" 4 burners + 24" griddle 2 standard 246,000 702 lb
FLM-R60-24MG 60" 6 burners + 24" griddle 2 standard 306,000 818 lb

All three run a 200–500°F griddle thermostat. The alternative is a separate countertop griddle on a stand — more total surface and more flexible placement, but it costs you another two feet of line and another hood section. If the griddle is a core part of the menu rather than an occasional thing, build it into the range.

The oven underneath

On the Flamaster R series the oven is a standard (not convection) cavity: radiant heat, no fan. Under 48" wide you get one; at 48" and above, two independent ovens, which is what lets you hold at 200°F on one side while roasting at 400°F on the other.

A standard oven under a range is for roasting, holding and finishing — it is not a substitute for a real baking oven. If your menu has sheet-pan volume, put a convection oven elsewhere in the kitchen and treat the range oven as a second, slower resource. Which oven type your menu needs →

Specialty ranges

Wok ranges

A wok range is a single high-output ring designed for the shape of a wok, not a flat pan. Flamaster offers two, both 17 1/2" wide:

  • FLM-WOK — 13" ring, 95,000 BTU, 34" tall, 77 lb
  • FLM-WOK16 — 16" ring, 125,000 BTU, 35 1/5" tall, 84 lb

Both in natural gas or liquid propane. For context: a single open burner on a standard range is a fraction of that — the whole point of a wok range is concentrated heat up the sides of the pan for actual wok hei. Match the ring to the wok you use, not the other way around.

Stock pot ranges

Low, wide and strong, built to take a stock pot you could not safely lift onto a range top. FLM-SP-1 is 18" wide with one 80,000 BTU burner; FLM-SP-2 is a two-burner unit at 160,000 BTU. Both stand 22 1/4" tall — waist height, so you fill and empty the pot without lifting it high.

Salamanders and cheese melters

Both mount above the range and both are 36" wide with 35,000 BTU on natural gas (32,000 on LP) and a 27 1/2" × 12 3/5" cooking area. The difference is heat:

  • FLM-SM36 salamander — 250°F to 800°F. High enough to sear, finish steaks, brown gratins and crisp skin.
  • FLM-CMG36 cheese melter — lower output for melting cheese and warming plates without cooking what is under it.

If you only buy one, buy the salamander — it does the cheese melter's job, but not the reverse.

What a range needs from your building

  • A Type I hood with fire suppression. Non-negotiable over open burners; confirm the hood length covers the full range width plus overhang.
  • Gas sized for the total load. A 60" range at 366,000 BTU is not a small connection. Have your gas fitter confirm the line and regulator carry it alongside everything else on the same run.
  • The right fuel. Natural gas or liquid propane, ordered to match — converting means changing orifices and pressure, not flipping a switch. NG vs LP →
  • A delivery path. 354 lb at 24" up to 818 lb for the 60" griddle combo. Measure doors and check for steps before it ships.
  • Clearance to combustibles on both sides, per the spec sheet and your local code.

Range, hot plate or oven — which do you actually need?

  • Range — burners plus an oven in one footprint. The default for a hot line.
  • Hot plate — burners only, on a counter. For adding capacity to an existing line, or where there is no room for a full range.
  • Standalone oven — when the volume is baking and roasting rather than pans on heat.

Ready to spec your range?

Commercial gas ranges 24" to 60", with standard ovens, griddle sections, wok and stock pot models, in natural gas and liquid propane. Free nationwide shipping.

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